GREENVILLE, Pa. -- A northwestern Pennsylvania tobacco shop is turning the image of the jovial, pipe-smoking Santa on its head by having Saint Nick huff on a hookah.
Up In Smoke store manager Sue Stoyer tells The Greenville Record-Argus customer reaction to the display has been mixed. But she notes many early depictions of Santa Claus have him puffing on a pipe.
Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas" includes a reference to the jolly old elf clenching a pipe in his teeth, with a ring of smoke around his head.
The tiny town's holiday parade earlier this month made the window a source of both amusement and scorn. But Stoyer shrugs off any criticism. She tells the Record-Argus Santa's history as a smoker is on the shop's side.
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